


when life goes wrong

by jessnayl44



Series: when life goes [1]
Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, will eventually be carli/kelley/hope but not until book 2
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2019-10-21 18:27:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17647655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessnayl44/pseuds/jessnayl44
Summary: kelley never thought going to college would be this hard





	1. Chapter 1

Kelley looked down at the packet in her hand, hands shaking as she hesitated in opening it. She had applied to LSU as a spur of the moment when Tobin had.

Tobin had her acceptance letter already, and was already signed for soccer.

Was this a joke? Had she really gotten accepted to the same school?

Kelley looked around the dining room thankful that Jerry was upstairs in his room, and she could hear the TV spouting some facts about the Braves to her Dad who had just gotten home from work. She slowly put the folder into her backpack.

She would tell her parents when she was sure it was an acceptance. When she was sure that LSU would offer her a scholarship.

Kelley slowly slipped her way upstairs. Her mom was somewhere around the house, maybe down in the basement finishing laundry, or searching the pantry in the garage, maybe even just standing in Erin’s room.

Kelley tended to see her doing that a lot…

The 18-year-old slipped into her room slowly shutting the door behind her. She paused for a minute and once she was content that no one was upstairs, besides Jerry who was playing an online game on his Xbox with friends, she went to her bed.

She took her time pulling the folder out of her bed and setting it in front of her.

What would she do if it said she was accepted? She had never thought of going so far from home. A 7-hour drive would leave her complete separated from her family…

But she would have Tobin. Her best friend since she was in diapers. Tobin was as much of her family as her blood relatives were.

Kelley flipped open her folder staring face to face with the letter. She picked it up with shaking hands and didn’t need to read very far. “Accepted…” She whispered.

Kelley had heard that LSU had an incredible athletic training program, and although her mom and dad were pushing for business Kelley wanted to do something with the sport that taught her everything she knew about life.

If she wasn’t going to eventually play soccer for a career, she would do something for them.

Kelley flipped through her folder. Full of information about financial aid, residence life, open houses. Then a paper caught her eye.

It had the LSU Tigers logo, and an address of the women’s soccer coach’s office. She knew the coach had been to her games.

Mainly just looking at Tobin’s but still. She had been at the games that Kelley played at. Could she have gotten even a little more help?

The financial aid would help, maybe help enough for her parents to be able to send her to the college. But if she got a soccer scholarship? That would be a no brainer.

“Sarah?” Kelley held the letter up to her face. This had to be some joke, her brain was starting to enter panic mode. Was her acceptance? She quickly looked back at her acceptance letter, that said Kelley.

So she was definitely into LSU… but the soccer program didn’t want her. She had to call them, they had to know that this Sarah Hagan girl hadn’t gotten her letter.

The girl looked down the letter finding the coach’s office number. Ellis, Coach Ellis had coached the U18 National Team. If she could win her over, maybe Kelley could even find her spot on the senior national team.

It all started with being truthful. Sarah Hagan deserved to be apart of the Tigers, Kelley couldn’t fake it.

The forward dialed the number pressing her phone to her ear. What was she going to say? Hi, I was just accepted to LSU and I got a letter for someone else? But I’ve been dying to be apart of your team and I would do anything to play for you.

Kelley ran her hands over her face as she finally heard the click, a british voice coming over the side. “Coach Ellis speaking.”

“Uh… Um, yes. Hi my name is Kelley O’Hara. I’m a senior and I just got accepted to LSU.” Kelley said quickly.

“Okay?” Jill hesitantly said.

“I’m sorry, um I got a letter from you, but it wasn’t addressed to me. It was to Sarah Hagan about a scholarship.” Kelley explained.

“Kelley O’Hara…” Jill said after a moment, writing down a note to call Sarah on a post it note. “From Peach Tree City?”

“Yes Starr’s Mill High School.” Kelley quickly said.

“You are on my list, we currently don’t need strikers.” Jill explained. “We just signed two star forwards for freshman year.”

Kelley sighed running her fingers through her hair. She knew it was too good to be true. “However…” Jill started causing Kelley to sit up.

“We are holding open tryouts in our first week. If you can move in early, I would like to see you at our tryouts.” Jill explained.

“Really?” Kelley bit her lip nervously.

“Yes, O’Hara…” Jill said. “So… will we see you?”


	2. Chapter 2

“And I think that’s it.” Dan sat the final box, this one consisting of Kelley’s cleats, and all of her soccer equipment.

“Thank you guys.” Kelley wrapped her arms around her dad, and mom. It had been a spur of the moment to move in early.

Dan and Karen had argued that with it being her freshman year maybe picking up a sport wouldn’t be the best idea… Kelley hadn’t listened.

“We have to get going, are you sure your going to be okay?” Karen asked smoothing her daughters’ hair down.

“Yes mom, Tobin and her parents are just crossing the state line.” Kelley assured her. “And I’m sure my roommate will be here soon.”

“Please call us tonight.” Karen begged. This would be the first time Karen was dropping off a child at college, and probably the only time they would be so far from home.

“I will, Mom. I’m sure we’ll talk every night.” Kelley promised taking her mom in a hug all her own. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Dad.” Kelley separated before pulling her dad into another hug. They were interrupted from their farewell when the door slowly opened.

“Hi.” The girl waved at Kelley. She was tan, curly black hair tied up into a pony tail. “I’m Christen.”

“Oh! Your Toby’s roommate!” Kelley said happily. “She’s almost here.”

“You must be Kelley.” Christen said holding out a hand before Kelley enveloped her into a hug. “Oh! You’re a hugger!”

“Yep! Sorry!” Kelley pulled back. “I should have probably warned you.”

“Hey, I’m a hugger too, I don’t judge.” Kelley happily clapped.

“We’re gonna be best friends.” Kelley assured her, before turning back to her parents. “Let me walk you guys down.”

_          _          _

“I hope you fall.” Tobin commented watching Kelley balance between her bed side table and her bed as finished hanging up her Atlanta United FC poster above her dresser.

“I hope you choke on your smoothie.” Kelley called out finally pushing on the poster to get it to lay flat.

“At least I’ll die happy.” Tobin smirked coming in and setting her smoothie down on Kelley’s dresser.

“You two have a wonderful friendship.” Alex commented from her bed side eyeing the duo before Christen poked her head in.

“Someone come with me to get a water bottle?” She begged.

“You left your water bottle at home?” Kelley asked with raised eyebrows.

“Yes, now please someone!” Alex sat up laying her laptop next to her.

“C’mon Pressy. We’ll go and find you one.” She said slipping on her slides and following the tan girl out of the room.

Tobin hopped up onto Kelley’s bed and sat in silence while Kelley dug through her desk things getting organized for class. Once she heard the door close, she finally spoke again. “Nice picture.” She nodded towards Kelley’s dresser.

“My parents didn’t even know I brought that picture.” Kelley sat down next to Tobin sadly, her fairy lights and tapestry forgotten.

The picture in question was a picture of Kelley and her older sister, on Erin’s prom night. It was taken 3 nights before Erin ran away from home.

Kelley was completely shaken when Erin ran away, waking up one morning, going to high school like usual but when she came home to cop cars, and sobbing parents, she knew something was wrong.

“Do they talk about her?” Tobin asked, having grown up with Kelley and Erin. She had been affected just as much as Kelley was.

“I get yelled at even looking at pictures of her Tobin. Her name is a curse word.” Kelley explained with a sigh before turning around to stand on her bed.

“Help me with my tapestry.” Kelley pointed to the tacks on her desk.

“Kells…” Tobin sadly said.

“Toby come on.” Kelley held out one hand, the other holding the light pink mandala in the corner of her room.

Tobin sighed giving up for the night. She would eventually get Kelley to talk, and when she did. It wouldn’t be pretty.

_          _          _

Kelley’s leg bounced anxiously. She wasn’t counting on being the only person at open try outs. They had posted it all over but no one had seemed interested or even applied… except Kelley.

“Take a breath, newbie.” Kelley looked up as two players walked by her all dressed in the LSU warm ups.

The duo snickered to one another before moving past her. Kelley looked over where the Coach was talking with Tobin, Christen and Alex. The freshman who were apart of the team already.

“What am I doing?” She mumbled to herself turning her attention to the sophomores, juniors and seniors who were working on conditioning with the fitness coach.

“Harris! Just cause Solo sits out doesn’t mean you can.” The fitness coach yelled to the two goalies standing next to one another at the end of the field.

The blonde rolled her eyes hustling over to join the line of other players all who broke out in laughter when the blonde smacked one of the brunettes on the butt as she walked by her.

They all seemed so close, and soon Tobin, Christen and Alex would join them.

Kelley would be left behind; and she didn’t know if she could handle that.

“O’Hara.” Kelley quickly looked up being ripped out of her thoughts by a british voice. “Walk with me.”  
Kelley quickly stood up following the coach through the locker room, into the coachs office. “Sarah Hagan never showed up.” Jill said walking around her desk pointing to the seat for Kelley to sit in.

“Oh… that is very upsetting.” Jill shrugged pulling up her emails.

“We need a defender, I know you’re a forward.” Jill finally directed her attention to the freshman in front of her. “I want to see what you can do.”

“I…” Kelley paused for a minute. She had never played defender her whole time playing soccer. She had always been a forward, the highest goal scorer in her high school, in her club team. She had never thought of being a defender.

“I can arrange you to work with one of our veteran defenders, she’ll help you grow as a defender.” Jill explained her eyes going back and forth between emails. “If you do well enough, we’ll list you as a scholarship player next fall.”

“Does… does that mean?” Kelley leaned forward.

“Yes, you coud get a scholarship. The same one Sarah had.”

“I can do it.” Kelley nodded. “I’ll be the best defender you’ve ever had.”

“Good…” Jill trailed off. “I’ll hold you to that.”

Kelley took a deep breath. Why did she just say that?


	3. Chapter 3

“Defending?” Tobin asked her hair wrapped up in a towel. She leaned against the doorway of Kelley and Alex’s bedroom.

“Tobin, it’s my only shot!” Kelley argued her own hair tied into a damp pony tail. Following, Coach Ellis’s meeting, Kelley had been given warm up gear and sent out to do conditioning with the rest of the team.

Tobin, Christen, and Alex were thrilled to see her, the rest of the team barely said a word to her.

“Kelley! You can’t defend! You’ve never been a defender.” Tobin argued.

“I mean, I’m very defensive.” Kelley reasoned causing Tobin to roll her eyes at her best friend. “Besides Coach Ellis already sent me an email with the name of whose going to help me.”

“It must be some sort of miracle worker.” Tobin said hopping up onto Alex’s bed who had just entered the room, and raised her eyebrows at the midfielder.

“Al!” Tobin held out her arms waving the forward to her. “Come sit with me.”

“How do I get invited to sit on my own bed?” Alex asked looking at Kelley who shrugged with a laugh.

Never the less, Alex hopped up onto the bed tucking her head into Tobin’s neck. A few moments later, Christen joined them hopping onto Kelley’s bed.

“So what are we all doing in here?” Alex asked after a minute moving so she was laying down her feet over Tobin’s lap.

“Trying to convince Kelley that she can’t defend.” Tobin explained causing Kelley to roll her eyes.

“Trying to convince Kelley that she can’t defend.” Kelley imitated back at Tobin. “Thanks for the vote of confidence Tobes, really appreciated.”

“Maybe she can do this.” Christen added throwing a small smile Kelley’s way. “Coach must either have a ton of faith in Kelley…”

“Or just be completely desperate.” Alex added in smiling at Kelley whose eyes narrowed at her roommate.

“This Rebecca girl, must be a miracle worker then…” Kelley looked at her email again. “I’m meeting her tomorrow morning.”

“Hopefully she can turn our leading goal scorer, into a defender.” Tobin commented before sliding off Alex’s bed.

“Trust me, Tobes… You and me both.”

_          _          _

Kelley was late, of course she was late. Of course, she woke up this morning to a dirty water bottle, and one boot missing (probably stashed away in Tobin and Christen’s room from where she had thrown it at Tobin last night), and a bloody nose.

“I am so so sorry.” Kelley said finally making it into the stadium finishing pulling her hair up into a pony tail. She paused looking around the field.

No one was there.

Oh hell, of course she missed this girl. Who was going to tell Coach Ellis, who was going to kick her off the team and then she wouldn’t get the scholarship.

Kelley was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn’t even hear someone else moving around her under a strawberry blonde girl who in front of her.

“Are you Rebecca?” Kelley asked shocked.

The girl broke out into a laugh, causing Kelley to look down nervously. “Becky, please god never call me Rebecca.”

“Becky… Got it. I’m sorry I’m late. So many things went wrong…” Becky held up her hand cutting Kelley off.  

“I don’t care. We have 45 minutes until practice starts, and my job is to get you in some sort of semblance of a defender.” Becky explained walking towards to the center of the field as Kelley hurried after her.

“We do a four back. Two centerbacks and two outside backs.” Becky explained pulling 4 soccer balls out of the bin setting them at their feet.

“Christie, and I are the centerbacks.” Becky said pulling the two balls in the middle up. “Ali is our right back, Coach wants to see you as our left back.”

Kelley nodded her eyebrows raised at the defender. “So what is a left back?”

Becky sighed running her hand over her face. “You really have no idea about defense, huh?”

“None, but I’m a really hard worker, and a quick learner.” Kelley assured her.

“Okay…” Becky said haphazardly. “A left back is a type of wing back. You and Ali will focus more on the offense part. You’ll follow the ball up to an offensive spot, but we’re also going to need you to push back when the opponent gets the ball.”

“So I’m a offensive defender.” Kelley questioned playing with the ball at her foot twisting it around.

“You and Tobin can both do tricks like that without even thinking.” Becky watched Kelley’s foot movement. “But it might be what we need in defense.”

Kelley blushed slightly. “Tobin taught me everything she knew.”

“Well it’s only fitting, it’s you, Tobin and one of our senior forwards Abby on the left.” Becky explained.

“Left side, strong side?” Kelley asked with her raised eyebrows.

“We will see in a week, cause that’s when our first preseason game is, and Coach wants you to at least be a sub.” Kelley nodded.

Becky separated from Kelley taking the ball from Kelley’s feet to bring it to the other goal. “I’m a teams center forward.” Becky pointed to herself. “I’m coming up on your net and as a center back, I need to be able to count on you to get her before she gets too close to the box. If you can at least slow her down, you’ll help.”

Kelley nodded, before Becky took off dribbling the ball between her feet until she finally reached Kelley. “So the best thing I can tell you, is make sure you hit the ball.” Becky said as Kelley tried to get the ball before spinning it around her feet. “If you get me, depending on how qualified the refs are, it’s a yellow.”

Kelley nodded again as Becky went back and started to run back towards Kelley, who did manage to steal the ball from Becky. However as soon as Kelley went to move the ball to settle it at her feet, Becky kicked the ball to gain possession back.

“Well we got the tackling down…” Becky sighed, as Kelley huffed arms crossed over her chest. “But now we got to get you to be able to hold the ball.”

“Any other tips?” Kelley asked when she started seeing other teammates arriving.

Becky thought for a minute. “Do what Hope tells you.”


	4. chapter 4

“O’Hara, mark her!” Hope’s loud voice carried over the soccer field as Alex charged the striker turned defender. “Stay tight don’t let her slip!”

Kelley came face to face with her roommate stepping to the right to stop the rest of the attack.

But Alex wasn’t going right, she veered to the left using the open space to shoot it off her left foot forcing Hope to make a dramatic safe.

“God damn it O’Hara!” Hope yelled causing Kelley to jump. “Read her hips!” Hope said rolling her eyes before putting it back into play.

The play continued but Kelley noticed how Becky leaned more towards her side, doing both the work of the center back and the outside back.

_          _          _

“Are you okay?” Alex asked one night as they were finishing their homework in the dorm room. They hadn’t talked about practices, Christen Tobin and Alex were having a great time at practice but all three of them tried to act like they didn’t see Kelley disappearing into the locker room showers before everyone got back.

“No…” Kelley admitted. “I feel dumb.”

Alex sighed looking over at Kelley. “Hope is going to be tough on you, but you keep doing what you do.”

Kelley shrugged, shutting her laptop. “I’m going to go for a run.” Kelley said digging in her closet to pull out her sneakers.

“It’s 11…” Alex argued but shook her head when she realized nothing was going to change Kelley’s mind as the defender grabbed her student ID and left the dorm.

“Where’s Kelley going?” Christen called into the other room.

Alex pushed herself off the bed. “Said she wanted to go for a run.” She explained leaning in the doorway of the opposite room.

Christen was currently against the wall of her bed looking concerned at her roommate. “Should one of us go after her?”

Tobin shook her head. “No… Kelley’s done this before, she’ll be back before midnight.”

“But I don’t really think the streets of Baton Rouge are a good place for her.” Alex reasoned.

“Al… She will be back nice and safe before we know it. She just needs to calm her nerves.” Tobin reassured the brunette.

“Why don’t you bring your homework in here? We’ll all work together and stay up till Kelley is back.” Christen offered causing Alex to nod before disappearing into her room to get her things.

_          _          _

Kelley finally found a spot just outside the LSU campus to stop and catch her breath. Her ankles hurt from how much she had been running, a remaining injury from her junior year. She knew her body would hate her for practice tomorrow but she didn’t care.

Kelley paused her music unplugging her headphones.

“They don’t understand…” She muttered to herself. “They’re all in their positions. They don’t have to fight for their spot.”

She knew being mad at Tobin, Christen and Alex wasn’t doing her any favors, but it helped blaming someone.

2 days, that was all Kelley had to be ready for preseason games. To be the defender they needed her to be.

Kelley plugged her headphones in and started running again, she didn’t know where her feet were going to take her but she knew she couldn’t do nothing.

That being said, she shouldn’t have been surprised when she ended up at the field her feet sinking into the terf in just sneakers. Kelley groaned, the one place she didn’t want to be.

“You know I’ll give it to ya…” Kelley’s eyes shot up, she hadn’t even realized she wasn’t alone until the other person started talking. “You’re trying.” The girl kicked the ball towards her, Kelley stopping it quickly.

“I know we give you a lot of shit…” Christie started. “But we can’t argue with how hard you’re working.”

“I’m not getting it, I’m not good at this like Ali, or Amy…” Kelley said sadly.

“We’re not asking you to be as good as them.” Christie argued. “We’re asking you to be you, Kelley.”

“We all have our own ways of defending, and as you find your own way it’ll work.” Christie argued patting Kelley’s shoulder as she left. “Make sure you put the balls back when your done.”

Kelley sighed eyes following the older women away from the stadium. _Find your own way,_ her words played in her mind.

The girl looked at the ball at her feet and then towards the net on the opposite side of the field. _Find your own way_

She could do this. She just had to.

_          _          _

“Still think she’s coming back at midnight?” Christen asked rubbing her hand down Alex’s back who was now asleep on her fellow forward.

Tobin sighed swinging her legs over her bed. “Go to sleep, I’ll find her.” Tobin assured the awake forward.

“Be safe.” Christen mumbled but she was already half asleep.

Tobin slid on her shoes before pulling up her phone grateful that Kelley had shared her location with her last year. “Of course you’re at the field.” Tobin commented before heading towards her best friends location.

_          _          _

“I can’t even score now!” Kelley yelled out to the empty field. She had been working her ball control before she got bored and resorted to try and score something she hadn’t done since coming to LSU.

Tobin sighed looking at her from the entrance to the field. “That’s cause your thinking too much.” Tobin said drawing Kelley’s attention.

“I’m sick of people telling me not to think! If I can’t think about this sport, how do I know what to do?” Kelley asked nervously.

Tobin sighed approaching her best friend. “It’s all in there.” Tobin said pointing to her heart. “It’s your muscle memory.”

“Tobin, I don’t think I can do this anymore.” Kelley finally admitted.

“Bull, if Kelley O’Hara gave up every time she wasn’t good at something we’d be in trouble.” Tobin reasoned.

“Tobes…”  
“I don’t want to hear it.” The women said wrapping an arm around Kelley. “Come on, let’s go sleep.”

_          _          _

“I can’t start!” Kelley said eyes wide and eyebrows raised as she looked at Becky next to her.

“Yes you can!” Becky argued back. “Coach wouldn’t put you out, if you weren’t ready.”

“Besides…” Ali came up rubbing Kelley’s shoulders. “It’s only preseason.”

Kelley took a deep breath desperate to look anywhere besides Hope who was standing and talking to Carli by her locker.

“I know she’s loud.” Christie comforted from the other side of Becky glaring at Hope jokingly. “But she knows what she’s doing.”

“But how am I supposed to do what she wants to do when I don’t know what she means?” Kelley asked.

“Do what feels right.”

Kelley rolled her eyes. “You guys don’t give a lot of straight answers you know.”

Becky, Christie and Ali all laughed. “Good luck, kid.” The groups attention was pulled away as Hope walked by with Carli. The three veterans looked wide eyed between the duo.

“Thank you.” Kelley said but Hope was long gone.  
The trio started laughing again but before Kelley could attack them, Jill poked her head into the locker room. “Come on girls… let’s get out there.”

_          _          _

“O’Hara stay tight, don’t let her get around you!” Hope’s voice carried over the backline. Kelley came face to face with the girl. _Read her hips,_ that’s what Hope said in practice. The blonde girl went left, and Kelley had to run to keep up with her as she approached the box.

No one could say that Kelley O’Hara was not fast.

She caught up with the blonde easily just as she was about to shoot the ball. Kelley quickly kicked the ball from under her taking off to the other side of the field. “Great O’Hara!” Kelley quickly passed the ball to Carli at midfield before retreating back to the defense earning a slap on the back from Becky.

“I think we found your thing.” Christie had said after the game. “You’re fast.”

Kelley was beaming as they walked into the locker room after the game. She had played 75 minutes, 75 good minutes as Hope had said. “Just good, don’t get cocky O’Hara.” Hope had told her with a smile on her face.

Kelley pulled her phone out, she knew her parents and brother had come in for the game and that she would text them when she got dressed. Her smile fell.

“Well O’Hara look at you!” Tobin came over slapping her best friend’s shoulders, stopping when she saw Kelley’s face.

“Kell? You good?” Tobin asked but she too took a deep breath when Kelley showed her the phone.

(1) Missed Phone Call: Erin O’Hara

**Author's Note:**

> i know i know, another story! this story for the first book is going to really focus on Kelley/Carli but in the next book it will start to include Hope!


End file.
